Arm R Seal Repair

[David Justice]

I made a new kitchen table and used Arm R Seal for the first time. 4 coats and let it sit for 8 days before using it. After the 8 days my wife put a vase of flowers on it, the bottom was dry...I checked. They had been there for about 3 days and I just looked under it to see if everything was OK and there is a visible ring that is raised to the touch and the finish now feels rough to the touch in that spot. I'm seriously pissed off about this, to put it mildly. I've used Poly as a finish before and used after only a few days, but have never had anything like this happen.

Is there any way I can fix this without having to finish the entire top again?

Thanks!

399684

[Bennett Ostroff]

Sorry to hear that... very frustrating. You could try sanding lightly at a high grit and work down from there until the roughness is smoothed out (i.e. don't use a rougher grit than you need). Then recoat. I doubt you'll have to take the entire finish off. You could also use 320 sanding disc on a DA and then recoat. What temp has the arm-r-seal been curing at?

[glenn bradley]

Many finish problems with these types of finishes comes from rushing the between coat schedule. I went over-thick on a small table and it took nearly a month before the finish was ready for use. I have since learned mt lesson :D.

From their web site:



"Dry 12-24+ hours between coats when applying over raw or stained raw wood, and dry 72+ hours between coats when working over an existing sealed finish in ideal conditions: 70°F/20°C; 50-70% humidity. Inadequate dry time is one of the top reasons for finish failures. You can tell if an oil-based finish is dry if it is no longer tacky, cool to the touch, and if you can press a cotton ball over the surface and nothing sticks. If in doubt, wait longer. Increase dry time if:

Humidity is over 80%
3+ coats are applied
Thick coats are applied
Applying over an existing sealed finish
Applying over products from other brands
Layering General Finishes water- and oil-based products:

Water over oil: Let oil-based products dry 72+hrs before applying water-based products
Oil over water: Let water-based products dry 24+hrs before applying oil-based products


To accelerate dry time in humid conditions, work in a space with good ventilation and air movement. If you decide to re-coat before the recommended time, test dryness.


Finish sand between coats with a fine-grade (220-320) foam sanding pad or 400-grit sandpaper to improve smoothness and adhesion.
Remove dust with a vacuum, compressed air, a tack cloth or a water-dampened rag.


Cure time
Oil-based finishes cure and harden completely after 30 days. Avoid placing heavy objects on surfaces that have not completely cured. Treat gently, and do not clean with commercial products during the cure period."

I routinely run shorter intervals between my coats but, I have learned several finishes' behaviors in my environment and in reaction to my application methods. Matt Cremona uses shorter intervals as well in this video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPtoPBMbAP8) for future reference. General Finishes instructions are made to suit most situations. Your own part of the country, season and shop regulation will vary this.

[John TenEyck]

Arm-R-Seal takes about 3 weeks to completely cure.

You may not feel it, but I'll bet that vase is leaking a really small amount of water and that's what ruined the finish. How else would it feel rough?

I've done a lot of testing on Arm-R-Seal and water can sit for days on a completely cured finish w/o damage, provided it is a complete film. If the finish is compromised or too thin then water will find a path through and you'll get damage. But if the finish is thick enough water has no effect and eventually will evaporate.

If the finish was just ARS with no dye or stain under it then you should be able to fix it w/o too much work. If it's a multi-step finish then it might be a lot harder. As Bennett said, use some fine grit sand paper to remove the damage and smooth out the roughness. Now let it dry several days until you are sure it's really dry. Then build up your 4 coats of ARS again, feathering the edges on the last couple of coats onto the undamaged surrounding finish. When that has cured at least a couple of days, sand the repaired area flat with the undamaged finish using really fine paper. Then apply a final coat or two of ARS to the whole top to complete the repair.

Alternatively, you could eliminate the last finish coats by waiting a week or two after flat sanding the repaired area and then rubbing out the entire top to whatever sheen you like. But I think the finish is not thick enough and you'll get better performance by applying another coat or two to the entire top.

John